The War to End All Wars
by film princess
Summary: This story picks up right where "The Rapture" ended. Dean is desperate to keep Sam from going dark-side. How far is he really willing to go?
1. Divide and Conquer

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Eric Kripke and his show, _Supernatural_.

Summary: This story picks up right where "The Rapture" ended. Dean is desperate to keep Sam from going dark-side. How far is he really willing to go?

**SPOILER ALERT**: 4.20 "The Rapture"

Bobby brought the two brothers to his newly created demon lock box. They paused at the door, Dean in on the plan and Sam completely oblivious. Just a few more steps from the youngest Winchester and he could breathe easier.

"Go on inside. I want to show you somethin'."

Sam walked right in, slowing his pace when he realized Bobby and Dean weren't following. Something was definitely not right.

"Alright… So uh, what's the big demon problem?" he prodded, starting to feel nervous.

"You are," Bobby replied in a flat tone. "This is for your own good."

Sam's heart sank as he watched the two other men slam the door behind him. The final click of the lock sliding into place was like the last nail in the coffin.

"Guys? Hey! Bobby! This isn't funny, man!" He tested the door from the inside even though he knew it was pointless, then slammed his fists into the hard metal. "DEAN! Open the damn door!"

"Not gonna happen, Sammy." Dean knew this was for Sam's own good, but that didn't mean it wasn't killing him inside. He took a step back, away from the door that was currently holding his little brother hostage.

Bobby shifted his eyes from the solid iron door to Dean. He had known both brothers for at least two decades now, but he had never seen the eldest Winchester looking so lost and crestfallen. He had to get Dean away from the door before his resolve broke.

"I don't know about you, son, but I could use a beer right about now."

Sam decided to switch tactics, knowing his best chance of getting out would be to beg. Dean could never resist his puppy dog eyes. He just had to hope his big brother wasn't immune to his puppy dog _voice_.

"Please, Dean. Don't do this! You _know _why I had to do it! I'm not drinking the demon blood for kicks. I'm getting strong enough to kill Lilith! Hit me if it makes you feel better, just please don't leave me in here. Dean? Just open the door, man."

Dean sighed, closing his eyes and then his heart to his brother's pleas.

"You go ahead, Bobby. I'll be there in a minute."

"You think I'm gonna leave you two boys out here to play Marco, Polo? I ain't goin' anywhere."

"I won't open the door, okay? I just… I just need to talk to him for a second. Please."

Bobby could see the resolve hidden behind the pain in the boy's eyes. He nodded.

"Fine. Five minutes. Then I'm gonna come back down here and drag your ass upstairs if I have to."

"Fair enough."

Bobby clapped Dean on the back for a little support before heading to the stairs, giving the boys their privacy.

Sam pressed his ear up to the thinner metal of the slot and heard Bobby walking away. Dean was his only chance at getting out now.

"Dean?" he called again, trying to sound unthreatening.

"I'm here, Sam," came the instant protective big brother response. The voice sounded weary.

"Dean, let's talk about this, okay?"

Sam's heart leapt as his brother opened the slot once again so they could talk face to face.

"What's left to say? I already told you, I'm tired, dude. I'm tired of the sneaking around, the secrets, the lies, and the freakin' demon blood. I don't know what else to do. This is for your own good."

"You don't understand, man! I don't have a choice! This war is happening, and the apocalypse is coming, whether we're ready for it or not. I'm not strong enough to stop it without the demon blood."

"It's not your job to stop it, Sammy."

"What? But…"

"It's mine. It always has been. I started this whole thing, and it's _my_ job to finish it. Not yours. Not Bobby's. Not even Ruby or Cas."

Sam wrapped his hands around the bars, wishing he had the strength to rip them out of his way. He tightened his grip until his hands were aching and his temper was simmering. Shouting wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"Dean, please. You're not ready for something this big. After what you went through… when you came back… You're just…"

"Not what I used to be? You think I'm weak, Sam?"

"No! God no. That's not what I…"_ I think you're just not Dean anymore. He was destroyed in Hell._

"I'm sorry, Sammy. This is all my fault. If I hadn't made that crossroads deal and sold my soul, you wouldn't have needed to build your powers up for protection. You wouldn't have needed a demon to look out for you. I didn't have your back like I should have. Then after I came back from Hell, I was a mess; probably still am. I don't know if I'm strong enough to win this, but I do know it started with me and it's going to end with me. No one else should have to pay for my mistakes."

"Are you sure that's what this is about?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What the hell else would it be?"

"It's just… What you went through, man; what they made you do? It wasn't your fault. You weren't weak to give in after thirty years of torture. You weren't pathetic to want to dish some pain out yourself. No one blames you for what you did. You don't have to prove anything."

Even with his limited view, Sam could see that his brother was shaking slightly.

"It's not about that, Sam, okay?" Dean swallowed to try and quell the quiver in his voice. "I'm not going to let any more innocents get hurt because of me, and I'm sure as hell not going to let you go dark-side fighting _my _battles. We're gonna get this shit out of your system and I need you to promise me you won't start doing it again."

"This isn't a drug addiction, Dean! I've had demon blood in my system since I was six months old! I can _never_ change that. I've tried to ignore it and pretend I'm normal but we both know I'm not. Ruby has been teaching me how to use my powers for _good_!"

Dean slammed a fist into the door in frustration. "Damn it, Sam! She's been poisoning you since day one! The next time I get my hands on her will be her last day on Earth."

"No! She's done nothing but help us. Don't you dare hurt her!"

"Are you listening to yourself? You're protecting a DEMON!"

"She's more than that to me!"

"She has to have another motive. Demons don't just help humans out of the kindness of their hearts. She's using you, and I'm going to find out why. Then I'm gonna end her."

"You don't have a goddamn clue what's been going on! You were gone for four months, Dean, but I was still here! I had to go on without you, and Ruby was the only one I could turn to. We saved a lot of lives because of my abilities. I owe her a lot, including my life."

"Yeah, well… That's why you're locked in there. We're gonna get you straight again, and then you won't need the bitch's blood. You're gonna be alright. I'll come back down and check on you in a few hours. Make yourself comfortable."

"Dean, no. Don't you leave me in here!"

"I'm sorry, Sammy."

"DEAN!"

The small hatch was closed, temporarily dividing the two brothers. At least, Dean hoped it was only temporary.

TBC

I was planning on taking time off from writing, but I just couldn't resist after watching this week's episode! It inspired my weary muse. Please let me know if this is worth continuing or not! I have a few theories as to where this season is headed, so I'll be mixing the real story line with my own inventions. Hope you enjoyed it so far!


	2. The Master Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Eric Kripke and his show, _Supernatural_.

Summary: This story picks up right where "The Rapture" ended. Dean is desperate to keep Sam from going dark-side. How far is he really willing to go?

**SPOILER ALERT**: 4.20 "The Rapture"

A.N.: Wow, thank you guys so much for all the support so far! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Dean turned his back to the iron door and made his way into the house, partially to find Bobby but mostly to escape his brother's pleading. He barely took two steps into the kitchen when a beer was pressed against his chest. He looked down and took it from his friend.

"Aren't you supposed to be tellin' me drinkin' doesn't solve anything?" He smirked half-heartedly.

"Well it ain't gonna stop the apocalypse but it might lower the volume of all those voices in your head."

Dean raised his bottle in a mock salute. "I'll drink to that." He took a deep swig then slumped wearily into one of the seats at the table. Bobby sat across from him giving him a calculating stare. Dean glanced back up at him.

"What?"

"Just wonderin' where your head is at."

Dean chuckled humorlessly. "Trust me, you don't wanna know."

"Try me."

"How did everything get so screwed up, Bobby? I mean, was there a sign that I missed? Some indication that everything we've ever tried to fix would be pointless in the end? Here I was thinkin' we spent the last twenty-some-odd years savin' people and doin' good, completely oblivious to the fact that it would all be undone when my weakness began the freakin' apocalypse."

"What's done is done, Dean. There's no changin' it now. I ain't givin' up yet though. There's still a chance we can win this thing."

There was a long, pregnant pause as they each downed about half of their beers. Dean was the first to break the silence.

"You know, Sammy used to be the most innocent kid around. I did everything I could to keep him that way. I kept my eyes on him when we were at school so the bullies wouldn't start shit, I kept the doors and windows salted at all times, I got him fed and dressed every day when dad wasn't around, and I kept him in the dark about what happened to mom for as long as I could. He was always askin' questions though. Too damn smart for his own good. I kept tellin' him to quit askin'; that he didn't really want to know." Tears were streaming down Dean's face now. Keeping his right hand clenched around his beer bottle, he used his left hand to forcefully wipe the tears away. "I should have protected him, Bobby. I've screwed up before, but never this freakin' bad."

Bobby reached across the small table and cupped the back of the boy's neck. "Dean, listen to me. None of this is your fault."

Dean let out a choked sob of disbelief but didn't respond otherwise.

"Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and you and Sam are known for drawing the short straws. But it's not too late for him yet. We still have a chance to save him. I know this ain't easy, son, but your brother is addicted to demon blood and that is not the best addiction to have right now if you catch my drift."

Dean took a steadying breath and wiped away the last few tear tracks, pulling himself back together to face the problem at hand.

"Yeah, Sam and I had this conversation not too long ago."

Bobby gave Dean's neck a gentle squeeze before releasing him and sitting back in his chair. "Bet that went over well."

"I told him if I didn't know him, I'd want to hunt him."

"I think other hunters are the least of our problems right now."

"How bad is it, Bobby? Do you think he can kick this cold turkey?"

"I don't think we've got a hell of a lot of choice here. If things start to get real dodgy though, we might have to summon…"

"I won't give him demon blood. I won't do it. I won't let my brother turn into a monster." The finality in his voice left little room for discussion.

Both men ignored the elephant in the room; the fact that Sam may have crossed that line already on his own. Bobby cleared his throat before continuing.

"Maybe your angel friend can give us a little help."

"No. Somethin' happened to him when he got bungeed back upstairs. He's not really Cas anymore. I don't know what the hell they did to him, but he's definitely changed."

"Seems to be a lot of changes happenin' these days."

"You're tellin' me." Dean paused, wondering how to broach the subject that had been plaguing his mind for a while now. "Hey, Bobby? Can I ask you a question?"

"Ya just did, didn't ya?"

"Right. Did dad ever talk to you about Sam and the whole demon thing?"

"You mean Azazel bleedin' in the kid's mouth?"

"Yeah, that and all the demon army shit?"

"I heard a good amount of it. Why do you ask?"

"It's just… The demon told Sam straight up that it had plans for him and all the children like him. Turns out he only had a plan for the one who remained standing after he pitted them against each other. Not even the angels figured out what his master plan was."

"But you think _you_ did?"

Dean dropped his chin to his chest and bit his lower lip. Bobby set his beer down and leaned forward again, resting his forearms on the table.

"Spit it out, son."

"Just… try to follow my logic, okay? Yellow eyes was choosing specific kids that he thought were special and he gave them a taste of demon blood. Whether they would have had their abilities even without the blood, I guess we'll never know. But he had tons of these amped-up kids runnin' around that he could have used to build his supposed army."

"But he turned them against each other instead…"

"Exactly. Why would he do that? Seems like a waste of demonic talent to me. He only wanted one. The strongest. The best. Sam lost the first round, but I brought him back. I made him a freakin' target with that deal, Bobby."

"You didn't know, Dean. You just wanted your brother back."

"That bastard Azazel actually thanked me for what I did, sayin' his favorite was back in the mix now because of me. He took dad without giving him an extra day to live, but they gave me a whole year."

"Supposed to give ya ten."

"Yeah, but she knew she didn't have to. I would have agreed to go with her right then and there if it brought Sammy back to life. So why did she give me the extra time? Because she made the contract unbreakable but knew Sam would spend every damn day of that year trying to save me. Because she knew when my number came due that it would destroy him. He's been getting darker and darker ever since. I've been tryin' to work out why Ruby was looking after him for the four months I was gone. She's been poisoning him with her damned blood. She's got him thinkin' it'll help him be strong enough to kill Lilith."

"Not sure I'm followin' you on this."

"It has nothin' to do with Lilith! The bitch has him all screwed in the head, tellin' him he's the only one who can stop her and in turn stop the apocalypse. She knew he was in a fragile state when I died and she used what was left of the Sammy we knew to make him feel like he has no other choice. They have been tryin' to turn Sam dark-side since he was six months old, and he's been playin' right into their hands. Dad knew it was going to happen and before he died, he told me I'd have to save him, and if I couldn't, I'd have to kill him. What the hell could be so bad that a father would tell his boy to kill his own brother? His own flesh and blood? I think dad figured out the master plan."

"I'll bite. What is it?"

"Bobby, Lilith is trying to break Lucifer free and he's gonna need a host. I think they're preparing Sam to be his vessel."

TBC

Please review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far for their support and inspiration. Hopefully this chapter will tie into the next episode a bit!


	3. God's Prodigal Son

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Eric Kripke and his show, _Supernatural_.

Summary: This story picks up right where "The Rapture" ended. Dean is desperate to keep Sam from going dark-side. How far is he really willing to go?

**SPOILER ALERT**: 4.21 "When the Levee Breaks"

A.N.: Wow, thank you guys so much for all the support so far! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint and I am sooooo sorry for the huge delay in updating! I promise I didn't forget. I got distracted with my other story, but thanks for sticking around for those of you still reading this one!

Screaming. Filled with pain, fear, and desperation. Pleading for his big brother to come back downstairs and make everything alright again. To make it all go away.

Dean dropped his head into his hands, rocking back and forth on the couch in Bobby's study and fighting the urge to block his ears.

"Jesus, Bobby. It sounds like he's bein' tortured down there. How long is this gonna go on?"

"Here, let me look it up in my demon detox manual… Oh wait, no one ever wrote one." Bobby paused just long enough for Dean to roll his eyes, then elaborated as the boy stood and began pacing the floor for the hundredth time, unable to sit still any longer. "No tellin' how long it'll take. Hell, or if Sam'll even live through it."

Bobby froze, surprised that he had spoken his mind out loud.

Dean paused mid-step and whirled to face him, anger and fear in his eyes.

Bobby didn't mean to worry Dean like that, but it was only right the kid knew what they were getting into, and Sam's death was a very possible outcome. He sighed. No reason to sugar coat things now.

"The point is… I don't think we can just wait around much longer. Seals are breakin' fast."

"How many are left?"

"Who knows? Can't be many. Where in the hell are your angel pals?"

"You tell me." Dean began his pacing again, trying to out-walk all the thoughts running through his mind.

Bobby took a second to plan how to broach the elephant in the room. He knew Dean was teetering on a precipice and what he had to say next just might push the elder Winchester over the edge.

"I'm just wondering…"

Dean stopped again, hoping against hope that the other man had some miraculous idea that could solve all of their problems. "What?"

"The apocalypse, being Nye and all… is now really the right time to be havin' this little domestic drama of ours?"

Dean frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't like this anymore than you do, but Sam can kill demons. He's got a shot at stoppin' Armageddon."

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. He took a step towards Bobby, then another, slowly closing the gap between them and increasing the electricity in the air with each step. "So… what? Sacrifice Sam's life, his _soul_, for the greater good? Is that what you're sayin'? Times are bad, so let's use Sam as a nuclear warhead?!" He stopped about two feet away from the family friend.

"Look, I know you hate me for suggesting it. _I_ hate me for suggesting it. I love that boy like a son. All I'm sayin' is maybe he's here right now, instead of on the battlefield, because we love him too much."

"He's my brother, Bobby. I can't just throw him to the wolves, even if he's the only one who can save this freakin' world. And that's a _big_ if."

"I know how close you boys are…"

"Do you? I mean, do you _really_? Bobby, if he doesn't make it through this… I can't lose him again. I won't." He turned sharply without another word and headed for the front door.

"Dean? Where're you goin'?" Bobby called after his retreating back.

"To get some damn answers." He slammed the door behind him.

Dean made his way through the salvage lot until he was a ways away from Bobby's home.

"Cas! Get your haloed ass down here!" He waited a beat, looking around to see if the angel would show himself. When his shouting received no response, he continued. "Damn it, Cas! After the shit you've been pullin' lately, you owe me some answers! What the hell am I supposed to do now, huh?! What's God's excuse for lettin' Armageddon happen right under his damn nose?! If _you_ people don't give a shit about the end of the world, then why should _I_?! _CAS_!!"

He continued to roam the desolate salvation yard, screaming his anger and frustration to the heavens for what seemed like half the night. Bobby could hear him from inside the house and his fatherly instincts were to go out and wrap the boy up in a tight hug, but he knew Dean needed to vent or he would explode so he let him continue screaming until he was practically hoarse. Combined with Sam's screams of agony downstairs, Bobby was on the verge of screaming himself.

Dean had just about given up on any word or help from Heaven when he caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye. Cas had finally appeared, standing directly beneath one of the few lights in the yard.

"Well it's about time," Dean stated gruffly. "I've been screamin' myself hoarse out here for about two and a half hours now."

"What do you want?" The angel sounded far from friendly as he made his way through the dark towards Dean.

"You can start with what the hell happened in Illinois."

"What do you mean?"

"Cut the crap. You were gonna tell me somethin'."

"Dean, I can't." Castiel's eyes flashed with a warning, then turned to regret. "I'm sorry." He walked off a few yards into the night, unable to look Dean in the eye anymore. "Get to the reason you really called me. It's about Sam, right?"

Dean finally asked the question that had been haunting him for weeks. "Can he do it? Kill Lilith… Stop the apocalypse?"

"Possibly, yes." He turned back to face Dean to make sure he got his point across. "But as you know, he'd have to take certain steps."

"Crank up the hell blood regiment." Dean sounded defeated.

Castiel nodded. "Consuming the amount of blood it would take to kill Lilith would change your brother forever. Most likely, he would become the next creature that you would feel compelled to kill. There's no reason this would have to come to pass, Dean. We believe it's _you,_ Dean, not your brother. The only question for us is whether you're willing to accept it. Stand up and accept your role. _You_ are the one who will stop it."

"If I do this, Sammy doesn't have to?"

"If it gives you comfort to see it that way."

Dean scoffed and shook his head. "God, you're a dick these days." He took a moment to himself, considering the choices he had in front of him and their consequences. It was no contest. He knew what he had to do. "Fine, I'm in."

"You give yourself over _wholly _to the service of God and his angels?"

Dean closed his eyes, seeing no other way out. "Yeah, exactly."

"Say it."

Dean turned and looked Castiel straight in the eyes. "I give myself over _wholly_ to serve God and 'you guys.'"

"You swear to follow his word and his will as swiftly and obediently as you did your own fathers?"

Dean looked as though Cas had stabbed him in the back, but he was resigned non-the-less. "Yes, I swear. Now what?"

Cas nodded, acknowledging the betrayal he saw in the other man's eyes. "Now you wait, and we call on you when it's time."

They kept their eyes locked with each others, daring the other to break contact first. The weight of the situation landed heavily on Dean's shoulders and he finally dropped his gaze. When he looked back up, the angel was gone.

TBC

Please review! I'm trying to juggle two completely different stories along with my job, so I apologize again for the long wait and I'll try to keep both stories updated as often as I can if you guys believe this one is worth continuing.


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